Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
“That may be so, but stealing her child isn’t the way back into her heart.”
“I don’t want to be back into her heart. I just want her to suffer as much as she’s made me suffer.” A child wailed in the background, and Sergei cursed and spat out something in Russian.
Then the line went dead.
Fuck. That had been their one chance of finding out where the bastard was going, and they’d just blown it. Cillian ran a hand over his face. “What a clusterfuck.”
“Hardly.” Dmitri slipped the phone back into his pocket. “I know his destination.”
“How in the hell did you figure that out?”
“He’s not coming in, which means he won’t be with any of my men or in any of the various locations I have control of.” He straightened his tie. “He’ll be going south, to Philadelphia. He has an aunt there that he doesn’t think I’m aware of.” But of course the man was. He didn’t seem like the type to let much get past him. He grabbed a pen and scrawled an address on the notepad on the desk. “If we’re done here?”
“Go.” Seamus spoke from the spot he’d taken behind his desk. When Cillian made to follow, he said, “Not you.”
He waited for the door to shut to turn and face his father. “I know this isn’t what you wanted, but I’m not going to let a little girl suffer for your politics and pride.”
“So I gathered.” Seamus steepled his fingers and tapped them against his chin. “You care for this girl enough to challenge me and the rest of your family.”
“Yes.” No point in denying it now.
“Go. Take Liam and as many men as he thinks you need.”
He could barely believe what he was hearing. “What?”
“I might be a cold son of a bitch, but even I have lines that shouldn’t be crossed. As long as the woman feels the same way about you that you do about her, she’s controllable and only a minor threat. Go get the child.” He leaned back. “And when you’re home again, you will dismantle every connection Dmitri Romanov has in our territory. The man is a snake, and I refuse to give him so much as a toehold. You were right when you threatened him—his money is where a hit would hurt the most. So that’s what we’ll do.”
Cillian rocked back on his heels. “He cooperated.”
“He did the bare minimum—only after bringing this mess to our front door. He’s the one who’s been skimming from us, undermining our authority with our people. He’s the one who lost control of his man, which resulted in the death of three of ours. That can’t be allowed.”
No, he supposed it couldn’t be. A slow satisfaction expanded inside him. Dmitri had made Olivia’s life a living hell. It didn’t matter if he seemed to regret what Sergei had done—he’d been the one to put the man in a position where he’d be able to act. Cillian smiled, well aware that it was as ice cold as the expression on his father’s face. “It would be my honest-to-God pleasure.”
* * *
Things happened quickly after Olivia came out of the bathroom—barely having gotten control of herself—to find that Cillian had somehow garnered Dmitri’s support and had an address where Sergei was most likely taking Hadley. She hadn’t even known he had an aunt, let alone one in the country. It was entirely possible that her half brother was sending them on a wild-goose chase, but Cillian didn’t seem to think so. Trusting him was so incredibly hard, but she didn’t have another option.
So to Philly they went.
She glanced into the rearview mirror for the millionth time, silently counting the black SUVs trailing behind them. One, two, three. All jam-packed with expressionless men with murder in their hearts. They hadn’t taken the news of their friends’ deaths lightly. She had no illusions that they were there for her. They weren’t.
They were out for blood.
Cillian hadn’t said anything since they started driving four hours ago. At first she was grateful for the silence. Her nerves were strung tight, and she wasn’t capable of small talk. Not when Hadley was in danger. But the longer it stretched, the more uncomfortable she felt.
Finally, when they hit the city limits, she turned to him. “Thank you. I…I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“You could have. It would have just taken longer.” His voice gave her no indication of how he was feeling.
He’s right. Keep your emotions in check until you know Hadley is safe and Sergei is dealt with. Everything else can wait. She sat back. “I have to be the one who goes in. Anyone else tries, and he might hurt Hadley.”
He hissed out a breath. “I don’t like it.”
“But you know I’m right. It’s the best shot we have of pulling this off.”